Being a rabid XYZ/Keener/CKLW radio listener since '61 after
seeing "House On the Haunted Hill" at the ripe age of eight, sometime during '67
I made the switch from AM to the new "underground radio" format popping up on
the FM dial. At that time WABX was the forerunner, broadcasting an experimental
show—"The Troubadour"—once a week or so prior to going fulltime with the format. Soon ABX was
joined by WKNR-FM and, later, WRIF.

That same year I joined a busload of
Cranbrook students to
go to a Sunday afternoon, underage concert at the
Grande Ballroom, "Uncle Russ"
Gibb's answer to the Fillmore (we were treated to an initial Detroit appearance
by Cream). Enthralled by the euphoric Grande scene, I waltzed into Russ' office
and, introducing myself, soon landed an assignment to produce—with a bit of
guidance from Grande-regular Carl Lundgren—a Grande handbill
promoting an upcoming B.B. King concert. (My card, being traded at $250 in
2005, has since shown up as part of a
B.B. King exhibit
at Cleveland's Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame.)

Such was my interest in rock music that I spent many evenings and weekends
talking to the underground jocks—the late
Dave Dixon, KNR
manager John Small, and
Russ Gibb in
particular—on the telephone. It was in talking to Russ about having seen an
unknown English avant-garde group, Soft Machine, upstage Jimi Hendrix at Masonic
Temple that he invited me down to KNR's Dearborn studio on Michigan Avenue to pick up an
advance tape of that group's forthcoming first LP. Hitchhiking down there the
following Saturday, that tape was an instant hit in the Cranbrook's language lab
come Monday.

Being an ever-faithful listener of Gibb's show, I was captivated one weekend
when he interviewed a fellow on-air about multiple clues, taken from many Beatles'
LPs, leading to the possibility that
Paul McCartney had been killed and replaced
by a look-alike. Though I don't specifically remember what tips I contributed, I was
very excited to be able to participate in Russ' show and offer additional
"clues," now that pandora's box had been opened.